Chapter 130: Breabsp;

  "Boom—"

  With a deafening roar, the western gate of Northwind Fortress burst open.

  The rusty iron meisms creaked and groahe massive drawbridge lowered slowly, crossing the wide moat to ect with the other side.

  "Who’s the traitor?"

  "Damn it, someone opehe gates!"

  "Quick! Pull the drawbridge back up!"

  "It’s too te—they’re ing in!"

  "Prepare for battle!"

  Chaos erupted withiy walls. Shouts, curses, and panicked cries blended into a cacophony as no one could distinguish ally from enemy.

  Outside, the long-awaited Dragonkin forces surged across the drawbridge into Northwind Fortress, an unstoppable flood of chaos.

  Leading the charge were hulking ogre shield-bearers, followed by gun-wielding hobgoblin skirmishers and tribal lizardman warriors.

  "For Ember !"

  "Take Northwind Fortress!"

  Despite the iron grip of the La family over the city’s defenses, even their elite "Eagle Shields" couldn’t resist the seeds of dissent.

  After Cassius's direct threat, even the most loyal guards felt a sliver of doubt. If even one or two in ten guards betrayed the cause, it was enough to destabilize the foundation of Northwind Fortress.

  What followed was a fone clusion.

  The dissenters coordinated with the embedded pyer spies, pooling their resources to stage a mutiny. Caught off-guard, the ander of the western gate garrison was assassinated, and the hundred-year-strong gates of Northwind Fortress were thrown open.

  The mutineers were led by John, a soldier oniamed "Loyal Hound" for his unwavering dedication to the Duke. His wife’s death at the hands of the "devils" had shattered his faith.

  As John drove his sword through the gate ander’s chest, the man’s expression of shock betrayed his disbelief that John, of all people, had turraitor.

  The mutiied red bands around their right arms to distinguish themselves and turned on their former rades.

  "Kill the vampire’s pdogs!"

  "For our families!"

  "For survival!"

  Raising his standard-issue longsword, John roared his battle cry.

  Thus began a chaotic melee among the Dragonkin forces, the defectors, and the loyalists of Northwind Fortress.

  As the La family’s heartnd, Northwind Fortress didn’t crumble as easily as Trow City.

  Self-i is a powerful bond.

  Mae forces in Northwind Fortress were iricably tied to the La family’s fortunes.

  Knowing their doom was sealed if the Duke fell, they resolved to fight to the bitter end, holding the Dragonkin forces at the narrow bottleneck of the city gates.

  "Humans, perish!"

  An ogre swung its spiked mace, pulverizing a soldier into pulp.

  Shielding itself with a massive leather-bound shield, the ogre charged forward like an unstoppable war mae, defleg volleys of arrows.

  A sharp shard of ice struck its arm, exploding into freezing mist and slowing its movements.

  It was an Ice Bde spell.

  Loyal spellcasters supp the La family joihe fray.

  "Charge!"

  "Kill the beast! Avenge our rades!"

  Soldiers surged forward to strike the ogre.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  Hobgoblin skirmishers opened fire, their bullets felling several soldiers in rapid succession.

  After the Battle of Trier, Storm Armory’s pyers had developed more precise rifled muskets, ushering in more flexible skirmisher tactibsp;

  "For Ember ! For endless feasts!"

  Ogres tiheir shielded charge, advang like mobile fortresses.

  Ice shards, fire, acid, and radiant light spells rained down upon the Dragonkin forces. Several ogres fell, their bodies twisted and burnt, but they charged without fear.

  Death was an everyday affair fres—literally. In the wild, starving ogres often ducted impromptu funeral bas, burying their kin in their stomachs.

  Ember ’s forces weren’t defenseless.

  Alongside the hobgoblins’ gunfire, pyers joihe battle.

  Bright fshes of magic illumihe chaos, with pyers demonstrating even more creative bat styles.

  "Their firepower’s insane—"

  "Padins, push forward!"

  "We need Haste! Someone cast Haste; I’ll carry us to victory!"

  "Cleric, use Sanctuary—"

  A shirtless monk pyer, "Dragon’s Fury," enhanced by Haste, leaped into the fray, sg walls and desding upon the guards like a whirlwind.

  Fag the fused soldiers, unsure of where he had e from, he shouted with bravado.

  "I’ll take ten of you!"

  "Whirlwind bo!"

  His fists blurred, delivering rapid, thunderous strikes.

  Empowered by Qi, his blows crumpled armor a enemies sprawling. The monk tore through seven ht soldiers, leaving behind the unmistakable imprint of his fists on their dented armor.

  "Hahaha!"

  "I’m going berserk this round!"

  Dragon’s Fury rampaged through the crowd, reveling in the chaos. His bald head glistened with the blood of his enemies.

  The guards soon turheir attention to him, unleashing a volley of arrows.

  "Swoosh—"

  An arrow streaked toward his head.

  "Deflect Missiles!"

  Dragon’s Fury sneered, eling Qi into his hands to catch the arrow mid-flight and fling it back, striking an archer squarely in the forehead.

  "Hah! Such weak tricks dare challenge me?"

  "Pathetic mobs trying to ambush me, really—"

  His taunt was cut short as arrows rained down from all dires.

  While a monk could deflect missiles, even he wasn’t a-armed deity. His bare torso was soon pierced, turning him into a human pincushion.

  "Overfident fool."

  "This life was worth it."

  Dragon’s Fury colpsed, smiling at the massive tribution and experience points fshing on his s as his visio bbsp;

  FAL